Cloud computing is being utilized by more and more business organizations. Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user's data, software, and computation. In a business model using software as a service (SaaS), users are provided access to application software and databases. The cloud providers manage the infrastructure and platforms on which the applications run. SaaS is sometimes referred to as “on-demand software.”
Proponents claim that SaaS allows a business the potential to reduce information technology (IT) operational costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance and support to the cloud provider. This can enable a business to reallocate IT operations and focus on other IT goals. In addition, the application is hosted centrally, so updates can be released without users having to reinstall new software. The drawback of SaaS is that the user stores their data on the cloud provider's server. As a result, there could be unauthorized access to the data. This is above and beyond traditional on-premises security issues in that a user's data resides alongside of other cloud customer data, thus rendering the traditional “protect the boarders” security model as ineffective.